Texas resident hunt draw about to turn into a big joke...

[jm1607]

I know this doesn't effect 95% of you but...

Like most states when applying for tags, Texas residents can apply for 1 location/unit per species/weapon type. The fees are pretty minimal, either $3 or $10 depending on the category. Odds are fairly bad, but the app is cheap. If you don't win you get a PP. Pretty standard except that you have different categories per weapon basically, i.e., Archer Deer and Rifle Deer are 2 different categories so you can put in for one location for each one.

Starting this year, TPWD is planning on allowing residents to apply for every location/unit they wish in each category as long as they pay the fee for each one. So, if there's 20 Archery Deer units you could put in for each one for $60, and so forth for each of the 20 or so categories. Which adds your PPs to every location. Does this sound like a terrible idea to anyone else?? Let's make the bad draw odds even worse just so that TPWD can make more money?? Are there any other states in the U.S. that let's you do this?

 

[cuerro viejo]

Only thing that's changed is the costs and its online.

70% of the hunts are still youth hunts, and more then likely just like every year, even if you didn't draw you can probably get in on the hunt via stand by. One of my good friends has hunted the Chap and matador three times each just via stand bye.

Its still the cheapest draw system of all the states for both residents and non-residents, being you don't even need a license to enter.

A non-resident could draw in Texas and even with a NR license, it still will cost less then any where else a none resident could apply and hunt.

Rita Blanco pronghorns usually takes 10 years, that a whooping $30 in draw and regular hunting license.

 

[drthornton]

It is already a joke. The system is a Bonus Point System and incorrectly called a Preference System.

I would also say that the hunts are largely average at best.

The Sheep hunt would be a great pull

 

[cuerro viejo]

I wouldn't say a joke, just not prime properties.

Think number was around 9-10k people(kids and adults) got to hunt last year via the public draw system.

 

[BSeals71]

I know this doesn't effect 95% of you but...

Like most states when applying for tags, Texas residents can apply for 1 location/unit per species/weapon type. The fees are pretty minimal, either $3 or $10 depending on the category. Odds are fairly bad, but the app is cheap. If you don't win you get a PP. Pretty standard except that you have different categories per weapon basically, i.e., Archer Deer and Rifle Deer are 2 different categories so you can put in for one location for each one.

Starting this year, TPWD is planning on allowing residents to apply for every location/unit they wish in each category as long as they pay the fee for each one. So, if there's 20 Archery Deer units you could put in for each one for $60, and so forth for each of the 20 or so categories. Which adds your PPs to every location. Does this sound like a terrible idea to anyone else?? Let's make the bad draw odds even worse just so that TPWD can make more money?? Are there any other states in the U.S. that let's you do this?

So your points now are unit specific? I'm assuming this applys now to non-residents also...

 

[cuerro viejo]

Hunt specific location. More like different state wildlife management areas, state leased ranches and state parks. 300acres to 100k acres plus just depends on location. (Little over a 100 options including youth)
Aminals/ reptiles: gators, exotics(axis, audad, oryx (sim and gems), Blk buck, etc), whitetails, elk, mule deer, pronghorns, bighorns, quail, ducks, etc
State draw doesn't includes COE or 1million plus acres of National Forrest(some of those have own draw or are by over the counter permit).

Most of the premium areas in texas are private ranches but some great 180-220" whitetails coming off public COE properties.

 

[jm1607]

Only thing that's changed is the costs and its online.

They're completely changing the system and letting you put in for every single hunt you want to, not just one per category. So theoretically, you could spend like $500 and put in for every single hunt/unit they offer (which would be stupid because there's a few units that never hit the quota and you'd lose your points, but you know what I mean). This is going to just destroy the already tough odds...

 

[jm1607]

So your points now are unit specific? I'm assuming this applys now to non-residents also...

I think the points remain category specific.. So even though you could apply to say every single Deer Archery hunt, you would only get 1 PP for the category if you don't win..

 

[daved270]

Only thing that's changed is the costs and its online.

70% of the hunts are still youth hunts, and more then likely just like every year, even if you didn't draw you can probably get in on the hunt via stand by. One of my good friends has hunted the Chap and matador three times each just via stand bye.

Its still the cheapest draw system of all the states for both residents and non-residents, being you don't even need a license to enter.

A non-resident could draw in Texas and even with a NR license, it still will cost less then any where else a none resident could apply and hunt.

Rita Blanco pronghorns usually takes 10 years, that a whooping $30 in draw and regular hunting license.

I wished Rita Blanco took 10 years to draw. We have 19 points right now!!!

 

[daved270]

Your odds for being drawn are definitely going down.

 

[drthornton]

I wished Rita Blanco took 10 years to draw. We have 19 points right now!!!

You know how many fantastic Pronghorn tags you could have drawn in 19 years for states like WY, AZ and NM?

Are the odds listed Applicants or Applications?

 

[glennsgunstuff]

I think the points remain category specific.. So even though you could apply to say every single Deer Archery hunt, you would only get 1 PP for the category if you don't win..

This is correct. You can burn your points on a junk draw if you choose to.

 

[Red Letters]

The whole system is a mess, most hunts have barely 2 days to hunt, during covid they did away with the orientation a couple years ago we drew a national wildlife refuge hunt. These hunts require you to buy an additional permit before they will let you finish applying.

So we have 20 year “combined“ history with TP&W draw program and we purchased this extra permit to access the federal land. Point being we are in their computer system.

We hunted the first afternoon (normally dedicated to orientation) then during the morning hunt the next day a game warden drive to our unit then walks around till he finds on of our blinds during the hunt to check for license. Fortunately after he checks my friends he tells him "that if he has one so will I" and leaves. I say fortunately because I probably wouldn't have been real receptive to this guy spoiling our hunt.

This was unfortunately our only chance to hunting that year. A couple days of hunting and the only perfect weather day he decides to come check on us. (the next morning the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour)

We had all out information at the sign in box at the gate we came in, I know they have computer to see if you have a permit and a hunting license. My truck was parked at the unit, he could have checked the license plate or better yet waited at the gate and checked as we drove out.

In my experience the hunts are pretty good for kids, adults are hit or miss. They like to run a kid hunt just days before the archery and gun hunts, I suspect that is by design as well. I have almost 30 PP built up for gun and 17 for archery, if I ever draw again I hope they don’t pull anymore crap like before..

 

[Fitzwho]

You know how many fantastic Pronghorn tags you could have drawn in 19 years for states like WY, AZ and NM?

Are the odds listed Applicants or Applications?

Going to have to disagree slightly here. Nineteen (19) points in Arizona won't get you anywhere close to a pronghorn tag as a non-resident.

As for NM, since there is no point system, there is no guarantee to draw anything, even over the course of 20 years. I met a NM resident in 2018 that had drawn his first pronghorn tag, he had been applying for 30 years. There was far more opportunity for residents and non-residents with the A-PLUS system than with the public land draw system that started in 2019, so it's just gotten worse since then.

Now for the agreeing part: Definitely could have had several tags in that time period in each of: Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, even 1 to 2 tags in Utah. I have been applying in multiple states since 2016. Including tags I have drawn for this (the 2023) season I have held 7 pronghorn buck draw tags and 3 doe tags. I have 2 buck and 1 doe tag for this season.

To the OP: As far as the Texas draw changing this year, that is not actually accurate. You have been able to apply for multiple/all areas for any given species since at least 2019. That's when I figured out you can do so at least. I can show you my apps to prove it.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Going to have to disagree slightly here. Nineteen (19) points in Arizona won't get you anywhere close to a pronghorn tag as a non-resident.

As for NM, since there is no point system, there is no guarantee to draw anything, even over the course of 20 years. I met a NM resident in 2018 that had drawn his first pronghorn tag, he had been applying for 30 years. There was far more opportunity for residents and non-residents with the A-PLUS system than with the public land draw system that started in 2019, so it's just gotten worse since then.

Now for the agreeing part: Definitely could have had several tags in that time period in each of: Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, even 1 to 2 tags in Utah. I have been applying in multiple states since 2016. Including tags I have drawn for this (the 2023) season I have held 7 pronghorn buck draw tags and 3 doe tags. I have 2 buck and 1 doe tag for this season.

To the OP: As far as the Texas draw changing this year, that is not actually accurate. You have been able to apply for multiple/all areas for any given species since at least 2019. That's when I figured out you can do so at least. I can show you my apps to prove it.

This was a 2014 thread that got revived in 2014 a guy probably could’ve had several good antelope hunts in the listed states over the course of 19 years. The next 19 years not so much


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[Fitzwho]

This was a 2014 thread that got revived in 2014 a guy probably could’ve had several good antelope hunts in the listed states over the course of 19 years. The next 19 years not so much


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Wow. I wasn’t paying attention for shit was I?